Two American Airlines employees have been honored with a Medal of Valor from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation after going above and beyond to help a grieving passenger reach Sydney in time for his friend’s funeral.
Passenger Eli Rutman was travelling from Miami to Los Angeles before connecting to Sydney for the funeral of his childhood friend, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was among 15 people killed in the December 2025 attack at a Hanukkah event near Bondi Beach.
After his Miami flight was delayed by around two hours, Rutman lost his original connection to Sydney and feared he would miss the funeral. Once American Airlines’ Los Angeles team learned about his situation, they quickly arranged a new itinerary on American’s own Los Angeles–Sydney service.
While Rutman was still in the air, a flight attendant informed him of the new plan and moved him to the front of the cabin so he could leave quickly after landing. Ground staff then arranged a nearby gate, escorted him across the terminal and coordinated with the Sydney-bound crew, which held the flight for approximately 46 minutes.
Rutman eventually reached Sydney and arrived at the funeral just moments before it began. American Airlines also provided the replacement ticket at no cost.
The two employees recognized for coordinating the effort were LAX Customer Care Manager Zak Rakrouki and Control Center Manager Mohamad Najjar, whose teamwork across departments helped make the journey possible.